Federal IT leaders rarely build tools amid workforce gaps, private-sector partner push

In an era of fast-paced adoption, slimmer teams and focus on private-sector partnerships, federal IT leaders are rarely tasking their workforces with building tools, a panel of officials speaking during a preview event for AFCEA’s Law Enforcement and Public Safety Tech Forum said last week. 

Building tools in-house was once heralded as a path for IT leaders to bring better differentiation, more control and tailored solutions to solve agency problems. But, stakeholders from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Naval Criminal Investigative Service said the value-add of homegrown solutions has diminished in recent years.

“As far as I’m concerned, the buy-versus-build debate is settled,” said Gary Owen, associate administrator and chief operating officer of the Department of Justice’s DEA. “It’s much faster for us to buy.”

The potential speed of implementation is informing technology decisions across federal agencies. Presidential directives and the nation’s AI Action Plan have pushed for agencies to clear the way for faster adoption of emerging technologies, such as AI. 

IT leaders are also doubling down on speed in response to accelerating innovation cycles.  

“The capabilities are refreshed so quickly that if we were to develop our own stuff, by the time we rolled it out, it would almost be obsolete,” Owen said during the panel. “We don’t need that. We need to move quickly.”

Workforce changes over the past year are another factor contributing to the favoring of vendor-built technology products. Most IT shops simply don’t have the bandwidth to take on new projects. 

“I need my people working and focused on their mission,” said Richard Dunwoodie, acting executive assistant director of operational technology and cyber innovation at the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. “There are talented people that are more than capable of developing some solutions in-house, but I’m not getting any more people.”

Federal agencies have lost nearly 265,000 workers combined since Jan. 20, 2025, according to Office of Personnel Management Federal Workforce Data. Technology teams weren’t unscathed in the process. 

Furthering the lead in the build-versus-buy debate, the White House has tasked federal agencies with leaning on private-sector tech companies to advance adoption efforts.

The message to federal agencies has been “get out and partner and leverage all the bright ideas and talent out in the private sector,” according to Dunwoodie.

“It’s an ever-present expectation,” he added. 

Despite the multiple factors driving federal IT leaders to limit in-house buildouts, there are still roadblocks for procurement.

“We don’t necessarily have the capability to do as many things in-house,” said Kiersten Schiliro, senior technical advisor of the FBI’s operational technology division. “But we’ve also had budget constraints that make it harder to outsource.”

The two headwinds have pushed the FBI to hone operations in search of efficiencies, Schiliro said. The FBI is evaluating every part of the process of adding new tech to see how it will benefit the organization, such as whether procuring a tool can help retire existing systems. 

The cost of new technologies, on top of maintaining legacy systems, can condemn a project before it even starts. 

Sticker shock is common, according to Owen. 

“We ask every single vendor to sharpen their pencil and work with us on prices,” Owen said. “That’s the biggest hurdle.”